Mountpinzo is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Mountpinzo family lived in Devon. Their name, however, is a reference to Mont-Pincon, in Calvados, in the arrondissement of Lisieieux, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

Mountpinzo Early Origins

The surname Mountpinzo was first found in Devon where they held a family seat anciently as Lords of the Manor. The name originally was the Norman Mont-pincon or pincun from the barony and castle in Normandy. Ralf de Montpincon was the Norman noble dapifer who was granted lands in Devon for his assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Meanwhile in Normandy, the head of the family, Hugh de Monte Pincon held the service of three knights from Montpincon Castle in 1172. Burton Pynsent House is a historic country-house in the parish of Curry Rivel, Somerset. It was built in 1765 for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, after he inherited the estate from Sir William Pynsent (1642-1719.) "It was the property of Sir William Pynsent, Bart., and, with other estates, was left by him to the great Earl of Chatham, in testimony of respect for his character." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. Pynsent Column stands on Troy Hill, a spur of high ground about 700 m north-east of the house.

Mountpinzo Spelling Variations

Mountpinzo Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Mountpinzo are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Mountpinzo include Pinson, Pincon, Pinsent, Pensent, Pensons, Pinsons, Pinser, Pincer, Poinson, Poincon, Pynson, MontPinson, Montpinson, Mountpinzo, Mompesson, Pinsun, Montepinson, Montepesson, Montepinsun and many more.

Mountpinzo Early History

Mountpinzo Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mountpinzo research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1642, 1719, 1689, 1679, 1765, 1765, 1790, 1859, 1818, 1864 and 1850 are included under the topic Early Mountpinzo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mountpinzo Early Notables (pre 1700)

Mountpinzo Early Notables (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Pynsent or Pinsent, 1st Baronet (1642-1719), of Urchfont, Wiltshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Devizes in 1689; and his son, Sir William Pynsent, 2nd Baronet (c.1679-1765)an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Taunton, unfortunately the title...

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mountpinzo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Mountpinzo, or a variant listed above: William Pinsen who settled in Virginia in 1623; Joseph Pinson who settled in Virginia in 1663; Roger Pinson settled in Jamaica in 1665; Samuel Pinson settled in Barbados in 1685.

Shirley, Evelyn Philip. Noble and Gentle Men of England Or Notes Touching The Arms and Descendants of the Ancient Knightley and Gentle Houses of England Arranged in their Respective Counties 3rd Edition. Westminster: John Bowyer Nichols and Sons, 1866. Print.

The Mountpinzo Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Mountpinzo Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.